The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-07-06
A REMARKABLE STORY.
One More Survivor OF BalakIava-A Guard
at Yictoria's Coronation.

at V1ct0r1a's CoIonat1ons
Yesterday an unpretentious but SOL
dierly-lookipg old man left the city for his
home at Mount Vernon, Ala, says the
Atlanta Constitution. This man was Tom
Cook, who stood guard within the gateway
OF Buckingham Palace on the event of the
coron alton of Queen Victoria, and who was
one of the few who came ''thro' the jaws
OF death, back from the mouth of hell,
in the famous charge of the Light Brigade
at Balaklava- &a
The story of this man is not only inter
estiDg at this time because of the jubilee
celebration in England, but, aside from
that, it possesses more interesting features
which make it worth relating.
Cook now resides at Mount Vernon and
has been for short while in Atlanta to
secure treatment for partial blindness. In
person he is within half-inch of six feet,
weighs about 10 pounds, is as straight as
an Indian, and looks the soldier all over.
His hair is still black, but his mustache
and beard are white.
Cook was born in NOttinghamshire, En-
gland, in 1902 and enlisted at an early age
in the Royal horse artillery, sixth battalion.
The horse artillery is selected from artillery
recruits, who are then trained for two years
at Woolwich. II was while at Woolwlch
that the command to which Cook had been
assigned was ordered to London 70 take
part in the brilliant coronation ceremonies
which occurred one year after the young
Queen had actually become the sovereign
of Great Britain. Cook and another men,
her of his company were selected to do
guard duty within Buckingham Palace,
while two members of the Life Guards stood
Just without. As the carriage containing
the young Queen and the dowager Duchess
of Kent passed through the gateway the
Queen sat upon the right and her mother
Taff sr,.r -.
the latter threw each of the four guards a
sovereign. On the following day the horse
artillery returned to Woolwi Shortly
afteTWaTd the Queen came to Woolwich
and reviewed the troops, and the old SOL
der, in his narrative, puts much stress on
the statement that the troops were dined at
the Queens command, and each man was
given a pot of porter in which to drink Her
Majesty's health.
After this an elder brother, who was
soldier in the Seventh Fusiliers, procured
Toms exchange to that regiment, aud
they were soon ordered to Gibraltar, where
the regiment remained for FIVE years, going
thence to Malta, eventually to operate
ag, inst st. Jean d'Acre, on the coast of
Syria.
Before The expedition left Malta, Maior
Wilborn, of the Seventh, volunteered to go
in disguise to Acre and procure desired in
formation as to the preparations for de-
tense, and selected Tom Cook to accompany
him. WIborn was a versatile oriental
linguist, and his plan was to dress as did
the natives OF the country, peddle thread,
buttons etc while Tom, also dressed as a
Syrian, was TO play the deaf-and-dumb
servant, and he says that he uttered not
one syllable during the weeks it took to
secure the desired information.
Wilhorn succeeded admirably, sounding
the harbor, taking notes of the defensive
arrangements, and locating weak spot in
the magazine. he and Cook then made
their way back to the British feet. laid the
discoveries before the English Admiral in
command Of the allied fleets, and the hls.
toric bombardment quickly followed. For
this service Wilborn was made Colonel OF
the Eighty eighth, otherwise known as the
Connaught Rangers, a crack regiment, and
Cook followed him. This command went
to Barbados. and from there to Halifax,
where Cook obtained his discharge, mar
ried and settled down to farming and fish,
ing.
at the outbreak of the war Cook re-en-
listed and served through the campaign.
At Balaklava he was one of the 600 men,
bers Of the Light Brigade, and one of the
very few who came out of that fearful
charge. He says that had the charge been
ordered an hour earlier 1T would have
proven effective without any material loss.
"As it was" he said, I'VE rode up to the
Russian batteries without the loss of a man,
but when we began to saber the gunners We
found ourselves IN easy gunshot of the
entire Russian army then on the field, and
lives were swept away like chaf before that
awful storm of flame, lead and iron. rode
a high black mare of great power and high
metal, and when the order of retreat was
given, / clasped the animal around the
neck, hugeiDg closely, gave her rein, aud
she carried me back in friendly lines. As
1 swept along on that awful ride, the dust
made by the bullets and balls which had
struck the ground fairly blinded me-"
at the close of the war, Cook, who had
received numerous medals for his record in
the Crimea and at Acre, obtained a dis
charge and returned to America. While
living at Mobile he lost both his decorations
and papers by fire, but not before they had
been examined by a United States army
officer, who is still in active service, and
other persons. Cook is illiterate, being
able neither to read nor write, but he
possesses a wonderful memory and his
wonderful history furnishes many rare
stories, which serve to make him popular
with his acquaintance.